WEST LAKE ALMANOR — Firefighters in Plumas County spent much of Saturday re-establishing containment and contingency lines after the Chips Fire expanded from about 20,000 to 30,000 acres on Friday night.

The 10,000-acre expansion came after the fire crossed containment lines on the Mosquito Creek drainage area, which gave it the wind and an avenue to cover 3 miles in about 4 hours, said Chips Fire spokesperson Howard Hunter. The fire grew on Saturday, but the day's total rested at 30,010 acres after officials reviewed Friday's progress.

Firefighters prevented spreads past the four main containment lines, including Humbug Summit Road north of the fire, the western shore of Butt Valley Reservoir, the east side of Red Hill and Caribou Road, Hunter said. Contingency, or backup, lines were also set beyond them as precautionary measures and fire retardant was aerially dropped near Humbug Summit Road to slow approaching flames.

Flatter terrain and lesser fuels made the expanding fire more accessible to firefighters, who are still maintaining an "indirect" attack, Hunter said. The rockiness and sheer walls of the burn areas made safely sending firefighters in for direct attacks impossible.

Seven firefighters have been injured so far, with at least four injuries coming from terrain-related accidents and the others coming from heat-related ailments. All injuries have been minor.

Saturday saw multiple spot fires on the northwest side of the main fire and some north of Red Hill, but they remained in containment lines and were somewhat expected, he said. The past six days of activity each saw new spot fires in nearby areas.With the fire about 4 miles from Lake Almanor, it's worth noting that no cautionary warnings have been issued and precautionary conditions that trigger evacuation warnings have not been reached, Hunter said.

Communities on Lake Almanor, including Chester, Prattville and Canyon Dam have not been issued any sort of warnings or evacuation notices and will only receive them if conditions absolutely warrant them. "It would be an announcement that you can't miss, if so," Hunter said.

As for property owners in the area, they should consider visiting their buildings soon to clean out gutters, create defensible space and pick up priceless possessions, Hunter said. This isn't to say that homes in the area are under direct threat or that they will be, but more to say that these actions are part of owning a home in a forested area that has occasional fires.

"What I say is that if you're a worrier, start worrying now," Hunter said. "If you're not, then don't."

Mandatory evacuations are still in place for Rush Creek and Seneca, and Caribou Road from Highway 70 to Butt Lake Dam is closed as well.

Today's conditions should make firefighting easier but not by much, Hunter said. Humidity is expected to increase to as much as 15 percent as Saturday's Red Flag warning ends and a 20 percent chance of thunderstorms could bring helpful moisture. There's also a chance the possible thunderstorm could be dry.

Ash and smoke from the fire moved from city to city, with reports of morning smoke coverage in Paradise giving way to dark skies and raining ash in Prattville in the afternoon.Floating embers continue to be a pressing concern, with the fire and winds tossing dangerous embers as far as a mile, Hunter said.

The Butt Valley Reservoir is an area of special concern, given that the lake itself is the containment line yet is only about half a mile wide. Crews are posted along the eastern shore of Butt Valley Reservoir to monitor possible spot fires that could arise from embers, he said.

While the flames came within less than a mile of Butt Valley Reservoir, if not actually reaching it, the progress was much slower than Friday's spread, Hunter said. Flames reached the top of a peak about a mile from the lake before slowly moving down the other side. There wasn't any way for firefighters to keep the fire from spreading to the shores of the lake, which meant leaving the trees between as lost to allow Butte Valley Reservoir to become a natural containment line.

"You don't get to save all the trees," Hunter said.

As trees shot flames almost 200 feet into the air as they burned west of Butt Valley Reservoir, a continuous current of crackling could be heard nearly two miles away.